Caesar 1.4-7

1. Caesar 1.4-7

2. [4] Ea res estHelvetiis per indiciumenuntiata. MoribussuisOrgetoricem ex vinculiscausamdicerecoegerunt; damnatumpoenamsequioportebat, utignicremaretur.This situation/matter was disclosed to the Helvetii through/by informers. In accordance with their (own) customs, they compelled Orgetorix to pleas his case in chains; it was necessary that punishment be inflicted on him, condemned, (with the result) that he would be burned by/with fire.

3. Die constitutacausaedictionisOrgetorix ad iudiciumomnemsuamfamiliam, ad hominummiliadecem, undiquecoegit, et omnesclientesobaeratosquesuos, quorum magnum numerumhabebat, eodemconduxit; per eos ne causamdiceret se eripuit. On the day established/appointed for the pleading of the case, Orgetorix gathered from all sides to the lawcourt all his (own) household, about ten thousand people, and he brought together at the same place all of his (own) clients and his (own) debtors, of whom he had a great number, (and) by means of these people he took himself away, in order not to plead his case.

4. Cum civitas ob eamremincitataarmisiussuumexequiconareturmultitudinemquehominum ex agrismagistratuscogerent, Orgetorixmortuusest; nequeabestsuspicio, utHelvetiiarbitrantur, quin ipse sibi mortem consciverit. When the state, outraged by this situation, was attempting to pursue its justice with weapons and the magistrates were driving a large number of people from the fields, Orgetorix died; and suspicion was not lacking, as the Helvetii think, that he himself committed suicide.

5. [5] Post eius mortem nihilo minus Helvetii id quod constituerantfacereconantur, ut e finibussuisexeant. Ubiiam se ad eamremparatosessearbitratisunt, oppidasuaomnia, numero ad duodecim, vicos ad quadringentos, reliquaprivataaedificiaincendunt; After his death, the Helvetii nevertheless try to do the thing which they had decided (to do), (namely) that they go out from their boundaries. When they judged themselves to be prepared for this thing/affair/undertaking, they set fire to all of their towns, in respect to number about twelve, to their villages about four hundred, (and all) the private buildings left/remaining;

6. frumentumomne, praeter quod secumportaturierant, comburunt, utdomumreditionisspesublataparatiores ad omniapericulasubeundaessent; triummensummolitacibariasibiquemque domo efferreiubent. all their grain, except what they were going to bring with themselves, they burned, so that, hope of returning home having been removed, they would be more prepared for the purpose of enduring all dangers; they order each person to bring for himself from home ground foodstuffs/provisions for three months.

7. PersuadentRauracis et Tulingis et Latobrigisfinitimis, uti ,eodemusiconsilio, oppidissuisvicisqueexustisuna cum iisproficiscantur, Boiosque, qui trans Rhenumincoluerant et in agrum Noricum transierantNoreiamqueoppugnabant, receptos ad se sociossibiadsciscunt. They persuade the Rauraci and Tulingiand the Latobriges, their neighbors, that, relying on the same plan, and their own towns and villages having been burned up, they should depart together with them, and they join the Boii, who had dwelled across the Rhine and had crossed into Norican territory and were attacking Norei, having been admitted among themselves as allies, to themselves.

8. [6] Erantomninoitinera duo, quibusitineribus domo exirepossent: unum per Sequanos, angustum et difficile, inter montemIuram et flumenRhodanum, vix qua singulicarriducerentur, monsautemaltissimusimpendebat, ut facile perpauciprohiberepossent; There were in all two routes, by which routes they could depart from home: one through the Sequani, narrow and difficult, between Mount Iura and the Rhone river, by which scarcely one cart at a time could be led; the very high mountain however was looming above, with the result that a very few could prevent (passage) easily;

9. alterum per provinciamnostram, multofaciliusatqueexpeditius, propterea quod inter fines Helvetiorum et Allobrogum, qui nuperpacatierant, Rhodanusfluitisque non nullislocisvadotransitur. ExtremumoppidumAllobrogumestproximumqueHelvetiorumfinibusGenava. Ex eooppidopons ad Helvetiospertinet. The other through our province, (was) much easier and unimpeded, because between the boundaries of the Helvetii and the Allobriges, who recently had been conquered, the Rhone flows and it is crossed in some places by wading. The furthest town of the Allobrigesand the closest to the territories/boundaries of the Helvetii is Geneva. From this town a bridge extends to the Helvetii.

10. Allobrogibussesevelpersuasuros, quod nondum bono animo in populumRomanumviderentur, existimabantvel vi coacturosut per suos fines eos ire paterentur. Omnibus rebus ad profectionemcomparatis diem dicunt, qua die ad ripamRhodaniomnesconveniant. Is dies erat a. d. V. Kal. Apr. L. Pisone, A. Gabinioconsulibus. They were judging that they were either going to persuade the Allobriges, because they did not yet seem in good mind toward the Roman people, or by force they were going to compel (them, i.e. the Allobriges) to allow them to go through their (own) territories. All these matters having been prepared for their departure, they set a day, on which day all people should gather at the bank of the Rhone. This day was the 5th day before the Kalends of April, in the consulship of L. Piso and A. Gabinius.

11. [7] Caesari cum id nuntiatumesset, eos per provinciamnostramiterfacereconari, maturataburbeproficisci et quam maximispotestitineribus in Galliamulterioremcontendit et ad Genavampervenit. When it had been announced to Caesar that they were trying to make a journey/their route through our province, he (Caesar) hastens to set out from the city and by journeys as great/long as he can he hurries into further Gaul and reaches Geneva.

12. Provinciaetoti quam maximum potestmilitumnumerumimperat (eratomnino in Gallia ulteriorelegiouna), pontem, qui erat ad Genavam, iubetrescindi. He orders the whole province (to send) as great a number of soldiers as it can (there was altogether in further Gaul one legion), (and) the bridge, which was at Geneva, he orders to be torn down.

13. Ubi de eiusadventuHelvetiicertioresfactisunt, legatos ad eummittuntnobilissimoscivitatis, cuiuslegationisNammeius et Verucloetiusprincipem locum obtinebant, qui dicerentsibiesse in animo sine ullomaleficioiter per provinciamfacere, propterea quod aliuditerhaberentnullum: rogareuteiusvoluntate id sibifacereliceat. When the Helvetii were made more certain about his arrival, they send legates to him, the most noble of the state, of which embassy Nammeius and Verucloetius were holding the chief place, who were to say that for them it was in mind (i.e. they had in mind) to make a journey through the province without any harm, because they had no other route: (and that they) ask that it be permitted to them to do it/make it/do this with his permission/approval.

14. Caesar, quod memoriatenebat L. CassiumconsulemoccisumexercitumqueeiusabHelvetiispulsum et sub iugummissum, concedendum non putabat; nequehominesinimicoanimo, data facultate per provinciamitinerisfaciundi, temperaturosabiniuria et maleficioexistimabat. Caesar, because he was holding in memory that L. Cassius the consul had been killed and his army had been routed by the Helvetii and had been sent under the yoke, he was not thinking (this) should/ought to be granted; nor was he judging that people with a hostile mind/disposition, an opportunity for making a journey through the province having been given, would be going to refrain from damage and harm.

15. Tamen, utspatiumintercederepossetdummilites quos imperaveratconvenirent, legatisrespondit diem se ad deliberandumsumpturum: si quid vellent, ad Id. April. reverterentur. Nevertheless/However, in order that a space (of time) could intervene while the soldiers whom he had ordered were gathering, he replies to the legates that he was going to spend the day to consider it/was going to take a day for considering: if they wanted anything, they should return on the Ides of April.